JIM: [sigh] I suppose you're right. Wishful thinking probably resulted in many deaths.
ME: Probably. Many probably also headed to the coast.
JIM: Why?
ME: Look for islands maybe...I donno.
JIM: Shit, there's islands even around here. One on Lake Erie...what is that?
ME: Put-in-Bay.
JIM: Yeah, that's it! Hell, could be a community set up there, man. Think about it. Free of infected.
ME: There very well may be. The people that live there would absolutely have stayed for that reason. I'm also sure many in the city would have had the same idea and flooded toward it. Who knows how that all went down.
JIM: Well, they would have ended the ferries.
ME: [laughs] Sure...but there's people with boats on the lake.
JIM: Oh, yeah. That was a stupid ass thing to say, wasn't it? Ha.
ME: A little further out is also Kelleys Island.
JIM: Fuck, man. Seriously. Two Islands...potentially two communities.
ME: Yeah...or two islands over taken and run by bandits and nuts. Look at that place in Ravenna...that group whoever they are looked pretty damn scary....I wonder if they're still around?
JIM: Why?!
ME: No reason. Just a curiosity with bringing them up...but like I was saying...those islands could be ran by not so nice folks...or they could be full of nothing but infected and everyone's dead...or like you said...maybe there's nice well off communities set up. You think that's worth the risk? You wanna go through Cleveland...which is probably still crawling with infected? Plus, we'd have to find a damn boat and make it to the islands...islands that may be death traps?
JIM: You're a real glass half empty kinda bastard aren't you?
ME: Just being realistic.
JIM: You make valid points...but for the record...right now, we're fine. However, if something were to happen like what happened in Hiram and we lost our place again...then yes, I'd say it would be worth the risk...what would we really have to lose at that point?
ME: Our lives.
JIM: We could have easily died this past winter. Maybe would have if we hadn't found this place. So again, yes...it'd be worth the risk if we had no other option.
ME: Well, let's hope we're never left with no other option. We'd likely die just trying to get through the city, let alone finding a boat and reaching those islands. And for fucks sake...don't tell your wife about communities on those islands...she'd say the risk is worth it now even while we're safe.
JIM: Probably [laughs] but the cons out weigh the pros. She'd know that so it doesn't matter.
[Reggie, from below]
REGGIE: Hey guys...I was thinking about something!
ME: Dude! Keep your fuckin' voice down...that damn horde could be anywhere! Come up here.
REGGIE: Fuck! Shit! Okay, I'm on my way.
ME: If that horde shows up in the next few minutes and we manage to survive, remind me to slap the shit out of him.
JIM: I most certainly will.
[Reggie was on the roof inching toward us a few moments later]
REGGIE: So...while I was sorting through the food I got fuckin' lost in thought, right? Okay, so as long as that mega bunch of fuckheads are wandering around, we're always in danger...
ME:...Right.
REGGIE: It will be risky...but sitting around waiting for them to get wind of us constantly is a risk too...so why don't we figure out how to waste the motherfuckers?!
JIM: Um, okay?
ME: You been drinking down there, buddy?
REGGIE: Fuck you, I'm serious. We could lead them into a trap of some kind.
ME: Well...I don't know. There's like a hundred of them...what's your damn brilliant suggestion on how we pull such a suicidal endeavor off??
REGGIE: We got cars and shit. Nothin' suicidal about it...it fails then we haul ass out of there.
JIM: Out of where?!
REGGIE: Out of where we set the trap, man. Aren't you paying attention?
JIM: What, you wanna dig a big ass ditch and try to make them fall in? There's a shovel in the shed...might take awhile.
REGGIE: Ha ha, you're a funny motherfucker...we ain't digging a damn ditch but there's gotta be something.
JIM: [laughs] Well, I'm at a total loss. I got nothin'. Wanna dangle a deer somewhere and wait for them? Shoot them when they show up?
REGGIE: You're a real son of a bitch. I'm trying to help and-
ME: Actually, I got an idea.
JIM: You're kidding, right?
ME: No...Reggie's right. It's a matter of time before we face that horde again. I don't want to put these defenses to the test. It's a good idea.
REGGIE: See, someone who recognizes my fuckin' ingenuity!
JIM: Well, what's the damn idea? It was the deer dangle wasn't it?
ME: We fry the fuckers.
REGGIE: Now you're talking!
JIM: And how might we go about this feat?
ME: We lure them to something. A building...a large house. If we can get them to chase us into a place and trap them inside we could do it. Light it up before they can get out to continue chasing us.
JIM: This just...gets better by the minute. That's sarcasm, just to clarify.
ME: Seriously...we could pull it off. Find a location and douse the whole inside with gas and whatever else we can find. Throw some propane tanks in there too to go off. We get them in such a trap then we end that horde. We'll have a sense of security knowing they're not out here. We'll also have a sense of payback, too. They killed one of us and destroyed our home. You wouldn't wanna see those things burn?
JIM: [sigh] Kelly is gonna just love this shit...you better come up with a genius plan for this.
ME: We will.
That night we drew up our plans.
***
KELLY: You want to what?! Who's grand fucking idea was this?
REGGIE: Mine.
KELLY: Should have known...
ME: It can work...the Bolter cluster fuck obviously isn't leaving. They must have a territorial mind set. This area is theirs. It's their hunting ground and we're living in it! Last I checked, we're what they hunt. It's only a matter of time before they do find us here...and they will.
JIM: He's right, Kell. You know he is. All it's going to take is one fuck up. One of us accidently cause a loud noise when they happen to be close by...they catch our scent while we're out and track us...if they are territorial then we have to surmise that tracking is part of their behaviour. They hunt in packs no different than wolves or coyotes or hyena.
KELLY: Correct me if I'm wrong but...I didn't think any of those three formed packs of hundreds!!
REGGIE: Okay...she got a point there.
ME:...True...no disputing that.
KELLY: So they have some behaviour that we have no clue about. That isn't like other pack hunters. Who knows what else they do that we're completely unaware of.
ME: Let's focus on the facts that we do know. Like the fact that besides that horde, we know they're pack hunters with a pack mentality...even a "pack" that big. We know they're like animals, right? We know they have zero regard for self preservation. Zero fear...and we know they give chase. All that is in our favor! We just have to get them trapped in a location.
KELLY: Yeah...that's the part we can all die trying to do. How do you think we're going to pull this off?
JIM: Firstly, hon...what's this we you speak of? You're not going to be apart of this, nor is Ben.
BEN: What?? Why the hell not?
KELLY: It's going to take more than three of you pull this off and you damn well know it! We do it together, dammit!
JIM: Listen, we can-
KELLY: No! I'm not discussing it at all. It's all of us. Period.
JIM: [sigh] Dammit, Kelly!
KELLY: It's how it's going down. Deal with it.
JIM: I don't want you in danger...or Ben for that matter.
KELLY: Um, look around? We're always in danger! And I said I'
m not discussing it.
JIM: Fine!
ME: Deal...but you two both are going to be at a safe distance. Whatever your role will be it will be with at least some safety. That's a compromise, not a debate.
KELLY: Alright. Fair enough. Now...how the hell do we do it?
ME: Well, we find a location and-
KELLY: Yeah, I know. Douse the place with flammables and light them up...I mean how do we get them inside? How do we even find the bastards to even get them to wherever we're trying to pull this off?
ME: We haven't gotten that far. That's what we need to figure out...as well as a place.
JIM: We thinking a building? A house?
ME: I'm thinking a house...a big house. Most building are just metal damn boxes. Need something to that'll catch and burn fast.
BEN: Plenty to choose from. Dime a dozen on empty houses.
KELLY: Need one preferably that will lead them on a straight path. Like a house that's a straight shot to the front of the home, you know what I mean?
JIM: Yeah...like a dead end house or something...something that's maybe adjacent to a two way intersection kinda deal.
ME: That's what we'll watch for...we know how to get plenty of fuel to burn...it's just a matter of finding the horde and leading them where we need them to go.
REGGIE: I think I got an idea...we don't find them...they find us. When the shit hit the damn fan and everything collapsed, it was July when it all fell, right? So think about it!
JIM: mmmkay...I'm thinking...I'm drawing a blank here, buddy.
ME: Independence day...fantastic.
REGGIE: Exactly!
BEN: I don't get it...
ME: Stores were selling fireworks! That's how we locate them...we draw them to us.
JIM: That sounds....well, fuckin' insane!
ME: Better than driving all over the place trying to find them. We can't do it at the location...somewhere nearby so we can lure them there and get there before they do...so they can't see us set everything up for them. Gotta be well ahead of them. They'll follow the direction we head. Even if they slow to a walk they'll follow and track us.
JIM: We won't just be attracting them...every Roamer and Shambler will come lumbering our way.
REGGIE: Fuck, man. I didn't factor that shit in.
ME: So? It's fine. As long as a ton aren't around our direct vicinity. A few Roamers we can deal with...the Bolters will get to us well before a horde of Roamers.
KELLY: Hopefully.
JIM: If not we pack it up and try again another day.
BEN: What if we set of the fire crackers and they come from the direction we need to go?
ME: Then I guess we'll be taking a longer drive than anticipated. We'll have to guide them around until we get them back on the route we need them on.
JIM: I just want to get this horrible plan the hell over with. Sooner the better.
REGGIE: First thing in the morning I say! Find some shit.
ME: At first light we'll go scout for a house and scavenge fireworks. When we raided places for supplies we seen some displays. No one looted fireworks. We have the flare gun but they might not see that. They probably spend half their time or more in the woods. But they'll hear fuckin' fireworks and come running. To their own destruction.
KELLY: We hope.
***
When it came to finding a spot and fireworks...as well as all the flammables we could find...we implored Kelly and Ben to stay behind. After all, they were part of the actual operation...not this part. Both seemed annoyed but didn't argue the point.
The three of us piled in the truck this time. We needed to fill the back of the truck with as much fuel as we could find. The majority of the morning was spent searching for gas cans in garages and siphoning gas from the cars in the driveways. The driveways that had them anyway. We were all feeling a little ill from the siphoning and we had to put down some Roamers and Shamblers that were either in some homes or around the area. Typical day.
We also found four propane tanks that were nearly full as well has kerosene and lamp oil and a few bottles of booze. Whatever the hell we needed to soak the inside of the place and some outside. The four propane tanks we'd set at various spots inside. When those go off then plenty of those bastards will get shredded and torn apart.
After the fuel we hit all the local stores. The discount store in G-Ville, the little Dollar Store outside of Mantua and all the gas stations nearby had some displays. We mostly grabbed the bottle rockets. They didn't have much to suit our needs.
The rest of the day we spent looking for the right spot to pull this off. Near sundown we stumbled on an ideal location. We pulled to a stop sign and we could only turn either left or right...and dead ahead was a gravel drive and a yard and a two story house. I probably wouldn't have given it much of a glance had Kelly not talked about an intersection or dead end spot.
We had our location and the following day we began to prep it for our grueling task. For this, obviously, Kelly and Ben were present.
To the left of the front door was a large living room window. We busted it out completely. This is where, when the time came, Kelly would fire a flare through and light it up. Her and Ben would be hidden in the SUV off to the side in a small patch of weeds near the woods across the street from the location. She would have a clear shot. Ben also had a flare gun to fire in case she should miss the window. So all in all, we had two shots to get this right...that's provided we could lead them inside.
Her and Ben stood close watch outside while the three of us set everything up. I placed the first propane tank in the middle of the living room. The second I placed at the top of the second story. The third near the side door in the kitchen. And the last in the back near the back door.
From there, we preceded to pour gas and kerosene everywhere. All through the living room, the kitchen and small restroom. Down the basement stairs, over every piece of furniture. We doused it on the walls, up the stairs and through the hall. Each bedroom. All the walls we could cover. It wasn't getting any better. I used every last ounce of fuel we had...even the lamp oil.
Lastly, we placed the final touch...something Jim found in one of the homes when we were gathering fuel. We had discussed how we were going to lure them inside. We were at one point considering drawing straws for who was going to run of foot to get them in there and escape out the back before we lit the place up.
Of course that consideration was strictly between Reggie, Jim and myself. And if that was the best we could come up with Kelly would fight tooth and nail till we either dropped the plan or she thought of something more rational.
Luckily, we hadn't needed to worry about that. Jim found what maybe was some sort of security device...maybe a prank electronic. It was designed to look like a siren. It had a remote and looked relatively new. The batteries worked but I replaced them anyway to be on the safe side. We tested it out in the basement at our home. It was ear piercingly loud and lit up with flashing red lights. We turned it off quickly hoping, despite being down stairs, that nothing had heard it.
This damn thing would send them flooding into the place...
We went over the plan multiple times to make sure we had it all down and to try and cover anything we may have missed. Everything was in place. We had one shot here to make the area a non-hunting ground. To make the area slightly safer. Well, much safer, but still dangerous as hell. Eventually other, normal sized Bolter packs would take up residence.
***
Two days later. Midday.
We got everything together and set out to see if we could kill those bastards...or if we'd die trying. Kelly and Ben went to the patch of weeds across the street and waited there. They sat in the back seat away from the window. They had a walkie to let us know if the pack came from their direction. Likewise, we could let them know when we were leading them their direction.
We were all on edge that day and we all had to take multiple deep breaths and clam down. Suddenly, we were feeling rather fuc
kin' stupid...but we carried on.
Four miles down the road we sat in the truck. Jim sat in the back ready to shoot the bottle rockets. He was all the more anxious being our in the open.
JIM: Okay, guys...if there's second thoughts and the like, this would be the time to speak up. Once these things go off and we start getting chased, it's the point of no return!
The Dead Lands Diary (Book 1) Page 22